Refrigerating cabinet



Aug. 23, 1932. M. A. GLOEKLER REFRIGERATING CABINET 5 H IHHIHIIlllllllllllllllllllHcHlllH Eiled March 19, 1931 v41 N V EN TOR. M

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNHTED OFFICE MARTIN A. GLOEKLER, or ERIE, rnnivsrtv'nnm, nssieironi'ro BER AR IGL EKLER COMPANY, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A oonronnrron or rEnNsYLvAnIA R mnant-meme CABINET Application filedMar'ch 19, 1931'; Serial No.'523,716'.

My invention relates-to improvementsin refrigerating cabinets for preserving and ex hibiting meats, dairy products or the like. Among the objects of this inventionare to {5' provide in such a cabinet, a plurality of longitudinally pivoted drip or condensation tray or pan members for the refrigerating unit, said tray members being spaced-apart and arranged to provide baflies for controlling "I the passage of the refrigerating air from the unit to the interior of the cabinet; vertically adjustable means for mounting said tray members having removable supports for the refrigerating unit; ,andremovable spring n clip brackets for maintaining the tray members in operative position beneath the refrigerating unit.

Additional objects and advantageswill become apparent from the followin'gdescription, taken in connection with the'accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is asfragmentary front elevational view of the cabinet embodying my invention;

Fig. 2, a: vertical transverse section on the line IL-H of Fig. 1; and- Fig. 3, an enlarged perspective. view of the tray members and their mounting.-

The cabinet illustrated herein is constructed in the usual manner to provide-a main food or other article containing chamber A enclosed Within a glass front'wall'2, a'rear wall having sliding doors 3, a flat top 4: and abottom Wall or floor (not shown) Anwopen work shelf 5 is supported horizontallywithinsaid chamber for receiving the food orother articles.

, It will be understood that my invention'is not limited to the particular form of cabinet, as other forms and similar structures maybe employed.

Secured to the under surface of the top4 by means of screws or bolts- 6,, I provide a plurality of spaced-apart inverted U -shape'd brackets? having openings 8 therein for re-- ceivingsaid screws. The'depending leg portions 9 of the brackets are formed with openings to receive bolts 10, said bolts-also eX- tending through adjustable bracket leg-member's 11. The members- 11 are spaced from the-leg portions 9 to receiveflanges 1-2"0f hinges l3 therebetween-,thesaid bolts 10 also passing through suitable openings in the flanges 12.;

The lower ends of the members 11 are formed with hook flanges 14: for receiving a removable refrigeratingunit support member 15 having down turned portions 16 enteredinto the hook flanges 14, Various types of refrigerating units may be employed, the unit 1'? shown consisting of a'plura'lity of rectangular transverse fins 18 and longitudinal refrigerant tubes ];9 passed therethrough. The lower edges ofthe fins 18 engage and rest upon the support member 15 to position the unit 17 in the uppermost part of the chamber Ae; The adjustable members 11 are providedwith additional" bolt openings 20 to e'n-abl'e the extension ofthe bracket mountingto accommodate refrigerating units of greater depth.

Bolted or otherwise fastened to the re maining. flanges-2 l ofthe hinges13, and disposed longitudinally of the chamber A below the refrigerating unit- 17, I provide a pair of drip orcondens'at-ion tray or pan memhers '22 and 23 having; upturned'flanges 24 along oneedge thereof" for engagement by said hinges." Said'pan members are designed to, be positioned in overlapping relationship,

With the downward-1y curved' in'ner edge 25 of i the member22a-bove: and spaced from the trough 26, for-med on the inner edge of the member 23 by means of an upturnedfia'nge 27. The pan members 22"and 28 are normally in .Figs- 2 and I With the pan members positioned in the manner shown by the full lines of Fig. 3, moisture from the refrigerating unit17 will fall thereon, either directly onto the member 23hr onto themember 22 and thence over-its dow wardly curved edge 25 into the trough 26 -'othemember 23. The members 22 and 23', and particularly the latter, may be longit'udi n'ally inclined in the manner of Fig; l, to enable the collected moisture to drain toward one end thereof and be removed by means of a-wastepipe 2.8;

'For thepurposeof maintaining the pan members in the overlapping spaced-apart in- ,inclined inwardly and downwardly as shown clined relationship described above, I provide removable spring clip brackets 29 having hook flanges 30 for engaging the upturned portions 24 of the pan members. Said clip brackets 29 are generally V-shaped and are formed of flat resilient metal with inclined portions 31 and 32 for respectively engaging the under surfaces of the pan members 22 and 23, thereby determining the inclinations of said pan members. In addition, the brackfets 29 are provided with abruptly inclined portions 33 for contact with the upturned trough flange 27 of the pan member 23.

It will readily be seen that upon the removal of the clip brackets 29, the pan members 22 and 23 will fall by gravity about'their hinges 13 to assume the dotted line position of Fig. 3, thereby permitting the insertion or removal of the refrigerating unit 17 together with its supporting members 15. Also, the pan members may be easily cleaned when in this position, without disturbing the refrigerating unit as is necessary in previous constructions.

When the unit 17 has been positioned, the pan members may be rotated upwardly and the clip brackets engaged over the flanges 24 thereof by first engaging the flange of one pan member, and then slightly expanding said brackets to engage the flange of the remaining an member. Upon releasing the pan mem rs, they will fall by gravity to contact with the portions 31, 32 and 33 of the clip brackets to assume their operative posi tions. 7

An important feature of my invention resides in the bafiiing action of the pan members 22 and 23 on the refrigerating air in its downward passage from the unit 17. A cabinet of the character herein referred to, hav ing an unrestricted passage for the refrigerating air downwardly to the food or other articles contained therein, produces a concentrated extremely cold column of air below the refrigerating unit which does not tend to break up and return upwardly until the same has passed over the food, causing the same to be dried out.

In my construction, the pan members are spaced-apart to provide a narrow longitudinal air passage a therebetween, which restriction is directly in the path of the refrigerating air and causes the same to be expanded and more thoroughly dispersed throughout the chamber A, as indicated by the arrows of Fig. 2. This also provides a further advantage over the present constructions, in that the temperature of the air in the chamber A will remain more nearly constant during the frequent opening and closing of the doors 3 of the cabinet, due to the thorough and uniform dispersion of the cold air therein; whereas in previous types of cabinets, the concentrated column of cold air causes the in- Lever/2s and removable means for securing said drip panm'embers in operative position beneath said unit.

2 In arefrigerating cabinet, the combination with a refrigerating unit, of a supporting bracket therefor having transverse unit supporting members, a plurality of drip pan members, means for pivotally mounting said members on opposite sides of the bracket, and removable means for securing said drip pan members in overlapping relationship beneath said unit.

3. In a refrigerating cabinet, the combination with a refrigerating unit, of a supporting bracket therefor having inner supports unit carrying members carried thereby, a plurality of drip pan members, means for pivotally mounting said members on the bracket, and removable means for securing said members in angular overlapping relationship beneath said unit.

4:. In a refrigerating cabinet, the combination with a refrigerating unit, of brackets having depending leg portions, a pair of drip pan members having free inner edges, means forpivotally securing the outer edges of the pan members to the brackets, and a removable clip bracket for supporting the free inner edges of said members in overlapping relationship beneath the refrigerating unit.

5. In a refrigerating cabinet, the combination with a refrigerating unit, of brackets having depending leg portions, a pair of drip pan members having free inner edges, means for pivotally securing the outer edges of the pan members to the brackets, and a removable spring clip bracket for supporting the free inner edges of said members in overlapping relationship beneath the refrigerating unit.

-6. In a refrigerating cabinet, the combination with a refrigerating unit, of U-shaped brackets having depending leg portions, a removab1e support for the refrigerating unit on the brackets, a pair of drip pan members having free inner edges, means for pivotally securing the outer edges of the pan members to the brackets, and a removable clip bracket for supporting the free inner edges of said members in overlapping spaced-apart relationship beneath the refrigerating unit.

7. In a refrigerating cabinet, the combination with a refrigerating unit, of brackets having depending leg portions, 2). pair of drip pan members having free inner edges, adjustable means for pivotally securing the outer edges of the pan members to the brackets, and a removable clip bracket for supporting the free inner edges of said members in overlapping relationship beneath the refrigerating unit.

8. In a refrigerating cabinet, the combination With a refrigerating unit, of a support ing bracket therefor having transverse removable unit supporting members,'a pair of drip pan members depending from said bracket, removable means for securing said members in operative relationship, and hinge means providing for a gravity opening of the pan members to permit the passage of the refrigerating unit therebetween upon removal of the unit supporting members.

9. In a refrigerating cabinet having a refrigerating chamber, the combination with a refrigerating unit, of a supporting bracket therefor having transverse removable unit supporting members, a pair of drip pan members pivotally mounted on the bracket, and removable means for securing said drip pan members in overlapping spaced-apart relationship beneath said unit adapting them to act as bafitles for the refrigerating air passing from the unit to the refrigerating chamber.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

MARTIN A. GLOEKLER. 

